The Shaughnessey Accord

October 1, 2004
Second in the Smithson Group (SG-5) series, this novella-length tale focuses on the exploits of Tripp Shaughnessey. He is currently assigned to the SG-5 Manhattan operations center on a stakeout of a diamond merchant's illicit dealings with the international crime syndicate, Spectra IT, and his base of operations is the corner sandwich shop run by Glory Brighton, who fascinates Tripp for reasons he doesn't understand. Using a surveillance feed tapped into Glory's security cameras, he hopes to catch the crooks red-handed, but while he takes a break to nuzzle with Glory in her storeroom, yet another criminal element invades the storefront, taking the customers and employees hostage in order to protect their own diamond dealings. This concise spin-off from" The Bane Affair" [BKL S 1 04] is the first of a series of interconnected short romances that will follow in successive months (next up is " The Samms Agenda"), and that will, according to the publisher, eventually answer all burning and unresolved questions.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)